Belén

“Bethlehem”

Location: Cotzal, Quiché, Guatemala

Size: 80 acres

Population: 25 families / 123 people

established: 1998

End of Agros Support: 2011

Support from the Zeilstra Development Fund helped us purchase two farms located two miles outside the town of Cotzal in January 1998. The selected families built a bridge and helped clear a rough road that leads to the property. Belén sits on a beautiful piece of land surrounded by forested hills.

We obtained access rights to a spring from the neighboring terrain. Potable water and an irrigation system for the fields are now available. Houses have been constructed with their own latrines and efficient cookstoves and a school with a functioning kitchen has also been built. Villagers worked to diversify their crops and thus their income streams.

Community Status

In 2011, our direct support of Belén ended. After long-term partnership with Agros, the community reached sustainability milestones, preparing them for self-sufficiency and continued growth.